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Whispers In The Dark
Prologue (Birchy) It was night. Stars glittered in the sky, shining brightly, but the large trees of the rainforest only allowed a little light in. Birdsong blinked. She was dreaming, she knew it. What else could explain her floating just above the ground? She looked around for anyone else, even giving out a clear meow to see if a cat was hiding in the shadows. She dropped to the floor, giving out a sigh. Then she heard it. A voice. She knew it, but couldn't recall... and then she realised. It was Hawkblaze. Her heart fluttered, and she stumbled forwards. Hawkblaze had been her mate. She'd loved him greatly. He’d made her feel warm inside. "Hawkblaze!" she cried out. She needed to see him. If this wasn’t a dream… if he’d survived but found no other cats waiting to help him… Birdsong would never forgive herself if that had happened. She saw the tall, brown tom, a silver glow surrounding him. He looked at her, his amber eyes glowing with happiness, before he turned and ran. "W-Wait! Hawkblaze!" Birdsong ran after him. It had been moons since she last saw him. She wouldn't let him go. "Hawkblaze, please!" she called. The tom didn't stop. He didn't even hesitate. He just kept running at his incredible pace. Birdsong found it difficult to keep up, swerving around tree roots and exotic plants. When she tripped, she thought he would just leave her, stranded. It wouldn't be like him to do that, but then again, it wasn't like him to run from Birdsong. But run he did. Hawkblaze stopped, rounding neatly before he crashed- well, he wouldn't crash; he clearly wasn't alive anymore. He waited, five foxlengths away from Birdsong, and started running the minute she was standing. Birdsong groaned. Why did StarClan cats have to be so difficult? She pursued him again, running straight through thickly interwoven branches with the ease of a dream. Hawkblaze had stopped in front of her. "Hawkblaze, can you tell me-" Birdsong stopped in mid-sentence, staring at a rock. It was quite big, the size of a small monster. It was grey, with shimmering flecks of silver in it. The rock was shaped like any other, but it glowed, lighting up the darkness slightly. She walked towards it, touching her nose to the rock, and Hawkblaze disappeared. "No!" Birdsong wailed. She wanted to talk to Hawkblaze! She turned to leave, return to the edge of the rainforest. But she was trapped. The branches were woven so tightly together they left no gaps, surrounding the clearing completely. There was no way out. Birdsong started to panic, she couldn't think straight! Without Hawkblaze to guide her… she looked down at her paws. "Help," she whispered. But there was silence. She was alone. Birdsong jumped, panting. She was awake, looking around the tree. 'It was just a dream,' she thought, shaking her fur. "N-no...,” a voice stammered, and she looked at Stickyfoot, her fellow WindClan member. Former WindClan member, she mentally corrected herself. She'd been amazed that Stickyfoot survived, and was concerned with healing and feeding him. He'd made progress, but very slowly. Her knowledge of herbs was better than most of the others, but it was still low. It was better than nothing, but she knew FireClan needed a medicine cat. And sooner rather than later. She sighed. Stickyfoot was twitching in his sleep, his trembling visible even in the low light. Birdsong wasn't surprised that the young tom was having a bad dream. Stickyfoot, even in his bad condition when they'd found him, sounded terrified of these rogues. I wonder what they did.... She sighed again. Stickyfoot had been too injured and exhausted to tell them straight away, and even now, when he was on the mend, he trembled and didn't do anything when asked. Birdsong had just put it at the back of her head. She'd ask him later, when he was fully healed. If he would ever fully heal, that is. They needed a medicine cat for that. All the cats that had survived were warriors, or training to be, or too young to even have the choice to learn. "We'll find someone. Surely there are more cats out there," she meowed quietly to herself. "StarClan will show us." StarClan, of course! I should find a way to speak to them. That rock... it must be! A place to communicate with our warrior ancestors. Yes. I'll go there in the morning light. Better get some rest then. She lowered her head again, and drifted off to a peaceful dream. Chapter 1 (Wildy) “Where am I, who are you?” He hissed at the nearest cat. "Don'y you remember? You're in FireClan's tree and you’re still hurt, so sit,” a brown tabby she-cat meowed. “FireClan?” Stickyfoot questioned, the previous days rushing back to him. The brown she-cat sighed. “We made a new Clan,” she explained. "For the survivors. We live in a tree." “Big tree,” Stickyfoot grumbled. “Yeah me and Bramblepath almost raced all the way around until…” a black tom piped up. “Shush,” the she-cat hissed to the smaller tom. “I’m Bramblepath, and this is Blackpaw by the way, our err, leader is erm, Birdsong, and…” “I remember meeting some of you last night. Birdsong, as in the WindClan deputy?” Stickyfoot asked. “Um yeah, she was from WindClan, why?” Bramblepath asked. “Everyone knows ThunderClan cats are the best!” Blackpaw meowed. “WindClan cats are too thin and weak; ThunderClan cats are big and strong!” “Blackpaw, I’m from WindClan, do I look weak?” Stickyfoot retorted. “Well…” Blackpaw started. “we are giving you shelter…” “Blackpaw be quiet!” Bramblepath hissed to her former Clanmate. “We're all FireClan now. I’m sorry about him…” she added to Stickyfoot. Blackpaw grumbled something under his breath. “Quiet!” Bramblepath meowed. “Birdsong and Dewfur should be back soon.” She went on about the patrols or something but Stickyfoot zoned out. Birdsong! I have to talk to her. Stickyfoot thought to himself as he tried to make his windblown fur stay down. He needed a plan to talk to Birdsong without the other cats hearing. I’ll try to go on a patrol with her, alone. ''Stickyfoot purred to himself as a small orange blob ran into him. “Hi, I’m Sunkit! What’s your name?” the blob meowed. “I’m Stickyfoot,” he meowed. Sunkit giggled. “That’s a funny name.” ''I’m not the one who picked it out… Stickyfoot thought to himself. “Are you a warrior? Can you show me battle moves? When I’m an apprentice Bramblepath is going to be my mentor!” Sunkit meowed in one breath. “Yes I’m a warrior, but I’ll show you some battle moves later. And I’m sure you will be a great apprentice,” Stickyfoot meowed back. Just then Birdsong and Dewfur walked in. Birdsong glanced briefly at him, then flicked her gaze to Bramblepath. “Could I call all the cats together for a clan meeting?” she meowed. The other she-cat came into the place under the ledge where Stickyfoot was already sitting; she glanced at him and smiled before settling down and gazing up to her leader. “Um, I had a dream from Starclan," Birdsong began nervously. "Dewfur, Bramblepath, and I will be going to search for the great rock I saw in my dream.” “Who will be in charge while you’re gone?” the pretty brown tabby meowed. “Well,” Birdsong glanced at the remaining cats. “I was thinking Blackpaw would be in charge.” “Yes! You should all call me Blackstar from now on,” Blackpaw joked. “Smart, put an apprentice in charge,” Stickyfoot whispered. Bramblepath glared at him, but Birdsong didn’t seem to notice. “Oh and I’d like you all to welcome Stickyfoot,” Birdsong meowed. "You must remember him from the other night, and I'm pleased to say he seems to be recovering, and will soon be able to take part in Clan life - if he wants to, of course." “Well actually I was thinking, since I have nowhere else to go I might as well stay here, and become part of your clan,” Stickyfoot purred. Sunkit got up and pounced on Stickyfoot. “Yay! You get to stay!” she meowed. “Glad that's settled. Dewfur, Bramblepath, let’s go,” Birdsong meowed before leaping down from the ledge and walking out the tunnel, followed by Dewfur and Bramblepath. “Teach me battle moves!” Sunkit pleaded. “Not yet,” Stickyfoot sighed. “Who’s that tabby she-cat?” “Oh, that’s Tigerstripe; she’s going to have kits soon,” Sunkit answered. "She used to be in ShadowClan like me." Suddenly, Blackpaw called Sunkit over. "We're going to race around the inside of the tree," he told her. "Bet I win!" “You won't!” Sunkit squeaked, and ran off to join him. “Bye, Stickyfoot.” Stickyfoot walked off to join Tigerstripe. “Hi, I’m Stickyfoot,” he mewed. “Tigerstripe,” she responded. “Um, what do you think of our leader?” Stickyfoot meowed awkwardly. “Birdsong? She’s a good leader, nice, smart. Why?” she asked. “Oh, nothing. You're right, she does seem like she will make a good leader,” he meowed. “I’d better go get moss for the dens, wanna come?” she asked half-heartedly. “No, I’ll watch those two." He flicked his tail at Sunkit and Blackpaw. “Okay, see you later,” Tigerstripe mewed. She walked away and Stickyfoot wandered over to the nest he had woken up on. Blackpaw and Sunkit were at the opposite side of the tree, and he watched them running for a while before falling asleep. “Stickyfoot! Wake up!” Stickyfoot jumped up and hit his head on a root. “What is it?” he hissed. “Sunkit cheated!” Blackpaw yowled. Sunkit ran up to where Stickyfoot sat. “Did not!” she protested. “Did too!” “Did not!” “Stop!” Stickyfoot hissed. “Tell me what happened!” “Well…” they both started. “One at a time! Blackpaw, you go first.” “Well, we were running, and we'd almost reached the end, and Sunkit tripped me,” Blackpaw meowed. “But…” Sunkit started “Sunkit, be quiet. It’s Blackpaw's turn.” “And then she kept going and won the race,” Blackpaw finished. Stickyfoot turned to Sunkit. “That isn’t what happened. We were racing and I slipped when he was behind me, and he tripped, and I just got up faster! That's why I won! It was an accident!” Sunkit meowed indignantly. “Blackpaw? Could that be what happened?” Stickyfoot asked. “I guess,” he said sullenly. “Well then,” Stickyfoot meowed. "It's no one's fault. Now go away, I need to sleep." "Otherwise you'll die of your injuries!" Sunkit agreed, sounding far too excited at the prospect. “They’re back,” Tigerstripe called from the nursery area, where she was arranging the fresh moss. “Yay!” Sunkit squealed as she ran to greet the returning cats. Birdsong walked to the ledge, and leapt on to it. She called for the cats to gather. “I have an announcement, I have received my nine lives, and I am now Birdstar, leader of FireClan.” Chapter 2 (User Quit) Dewfur scrabbled over a fallen log, his hind paws flailing uselessly before his claws latched onto the smooth bark and he heaved himself forward. From somewhere behind him he heard an 'oof' as Blackpaw fell onto his nose. Bramblepath was leading the patrol, taking her warrior duties seriously as she scented the air and looked in all directions. Blackpaw and Sunkit were trailing behind, having started a competition to see who could go the slowest. So far Blackpaw was losing, though not for want of trying. Technically Dewfur was in charge of the patrol, but he was content to just walk in the middle and keep an eye on the younger cats. Being deputy was still new to him - it was only last night that Birdstar had announced that he would keep the position, after all. He'd never really thought of himself as a responsible sort of cat - more like the cat who kept the kits occupied, really. Sunkit struggled up beside him, the long grass reaching her chest. "Hi," she mewed, staring at Dewfur as they walked. "Hi," he said with a purr. "How goes the competition?" "Meh," Sunkit said carelessly. "Blackpaw's winning... for now. Besides, he's better at being slow than I am." She glanced behind her then leaned in close to Dewfur and whispered, "That's not actually a good thing." "Hmm," Dewfur hummed noncommittally. "I can see the river!" Bramblepath yowled from up ahead. She sprung onto one of the large outcrops of rock that seemed to be all over this strange country, and balanced carefully on the top, digging her claws into the moss and lichen. "Great," Dewfur meowed encouragingly. "We'll have a short practice today, okay? It's almost dark already." It had been green-leaf back by the lake when the fire had started, the tom reflected, but here in this place it was turning rapidly into a harsh, cold leaf-bare. They had yet to see any snow, but Dewfur wasn't holding his breath. The days were getting shorter and shorter, and the tree at night was so cold he could see his breath hanging in the air. Birdstar reckoned that the huge hollow would warm up when there were more cats inside, but for now every cat in FireClan was sleeping in the partially finished warrior's den. The dens were another thing that Dewfur found he had to worry about as deputy. He and Birdstar would take turns leading a building shift - when Dewfur was teaching cats to swim the leader would take over the building, and when she was out hunting or leading a patrol it would fall to the deputy to keep an eye on construction. For now, Birdstar was making sure one of them was always in camp at any one time - she thought that it would be safer that way, but it was definetely making it hard on the two cats. There was a splash as Sunkit dove headfirst into the cold water. She came up spluttering and squeaking, but her face was alight with joy. The youngest member of FireClan was the only non-former-RiverClan cat who had taken to the water easily. Blackpaw, Bramblepath and Tigerstripe were reluctant, but it would take hours of coaxing for Dewfur to get Birdstar and Stickyfoot into the water. Stickyfoot seemed to be settling nicely into Clan life, helping out with the dens as much as his injuries would allow him. He was certainly a very respectable tom, Dewfur thought, and he spent a lot of time helping Birdstar, which was nice. "Can we go back now?" Blackpaw whined. The tom was up to his belly-fur in water, shivering and looking thoroughly miserable. "Let me see you get to the opposite bank and back first," Dewfur decided. "All of you." The 'river' they were practicing in was tiny and fairly useless, but it had a fast-flowing current and got deeper in the middle, so it was a good place to learn. Dewfur watched approvingly as the three younger cats struck out for the other bank and then turned to come back quickly. They crawled back onto land together, and Sunkit shook her pelt frantically, sending water showering over all the other cats. "Brrrrr," she shivered, tucking herself into Bramblepath's side. The young warrior gave her a surprised look before relaxing and letting Sunkit walk close to her. The little kit tended to cling to Birdstar and Bramblepath - Birdstar most of all, of course. The FireClan leader had taken on the role of Sunkit's foster-mother when she had saved her from the fire. Sometimes they all forgot how young Sunkit was to have witnessed the trauma they all had - and then she would creep into Birdstar or Bramblepath's nests in the middle of the night saying she had a nightmare. Last night she hadn't stopped shaking until the morning light streamed through the leaves at the top of the hollow. The small patrol straggled back towards the tree together. There was a harsh screech from above as one of the large white birds soared overhead. Cockatoos, Dewfur had learnt, during a brief meeting with a local kittypet. And the pink-and-grey birds were galahs. There were a lot of them stocking the fresh kill pile; they just seemed too stupid to fly away. Lost in thought, the broad-shouldered tom barely noticed where he was going until he stumbled right into a fluffy white pelt. "Sorry -" he began, looking up, and then he startled backwards. "Skylight?!" The white she-cat purred steadily, dipping her head to him, and Dewfur was convinced that he was seeing a ghost. His mate had died in the fire - she couldn't be here... not here, not now, not... at all. She wasn't living anymore. "You're in StarClan," he whispered. "Am not!" she retorted indignantly, sounding so much like her old self that Dewfur wanted to whimper like a kit. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you very much. And you! I thought you had died in the fires... it took me moons to track you down here." "The fire was only one moon ago," Dewfur reminded her. "Are you... are you really alive?" "Mousebrain," Skylight purred affectionately, padding forward to press her nose against his cheek. Sunkit, Blackpaw and Bramblepath bounded up behind him, watching the reunion curiously. After a time, Sunkit piped up. "Who's that, Dewfur?" "This is my mate, Skylight," Dewfur answered, filled with wonder. "She's the newest member of FireClan." Chapter 3 (Zaffie) Sunkit was helping with the apprentice’s den. They were building it now, slowly and carefully, weaving walls of ferns and replanting small bushes inside the tree. Sunkit was being a huge help, no matter what everyone else said. “Move out of the way, nuisance,” Blackpaw yowled, heaving two ferns past, teeth clamped in their earthy roots. “I need to plant these now!” “Stop planting where I’m weaving,” Bramblepath protested, pulling at a fern frond with her teeth. “Stop weaving where I’m planting,” Blackpaw retorted crossly. Sunkit bounced eagerly over to Dewfur, who was shoving earth in around the roots of a large bush that made up half the den. “Can I help?” she asked eagerly, pushing with her hind paws and sending dirt flying across the tree. “Nope,” Dewfur said. “Look, Sunkit, how about you go and talk to Skylight? She said she’d been feeling lonely.” At last, something useful I can do! Sunkit thought, missing the resentful look Skylight shot her mate over her head. She raced over to the nursery, which was mostly finished now. It was the most open of the dens, as Birdstar thought that kits needed space and freedom to play. Sunkit liked that about Birdstar. She was always thinking about what kits wanted. Skylight and Tigerstripe were both lying outside the den. Sunkit hurried up to them cheerfully. “Do you want a mouse, Skylight?” she asked the white she-cat shyly. The ginger kit was still a bit in awe of Dewfur’s mysterious mate, who had appeared so suddenly when everyone thought she was dead. “Dewfur brought me some food,” the she-cat explained. “But thanks anyway.” “What about you, Tigerstripe?” Sunkit asked eagerly, bouncing near the pregnant she-cat’s head. “I feel awful,” Tigerstripe moaned. “My belly aches. Just… go away, please, Sunkit. Give me some peace.” Sunkit widened her eyes, and crept away quietly. What if Tigerstripe is dying?! Deciding that there was only one thing to do, she ran towards Birdstar, who was standing marking out where the warriors den would be. “Tigerstripe has a bellyache,” she reported. “She says she feels very very sick.” Birdstar sighed heavily, lowering her head. “We need a medicine cat,” she mumbled, almost to herself. “What will happen to FireClan if we can’t cure our cats? We’ll all die, that’s what.” She stopped suddenly, and looked at Sunkit, who was staring at her in horror. “Tigerstripe will be fine,” the Clan leader said uncertainly. “I don’t suppose you’re at all interested in herbs and StarClan, Sunkit?” “No way,” Sunkit said firmly. “Not one bit. We’ll just have to go and find a new medicine cat.” Birdstar sighed, but forced a purr for the sake of the younger cat. “Alright then, if you say so. Can you go and tell Dewfur from me that I’d like him to send out a patrol, and then take you and Blackpaw for some more swimming lessons? Say I’ll stay here with the queens.” “Swimming!” Sunkit squeaked eagerly. She had already had two swimming lessons with the cheerful deputy, and had quickly discovered that she loved the water. Dewfur said she had a natural swimming talent. She hurried over to him and delivered the message. “Okey dokey,” the tom said cheerfully. “Bramblepath and Stickyfoot can patrol, and we’ll head down to the river again." Stickyfoot glanced up when he heard his name, then nodded and jerked his head at Bramblepath. “Come on, bossy,” he muttered. Bramblepath huffed crossly, pushing in front of him as he left the tree. Sunkit bounced behind her, Blackpaw following on her heels. The apprentice took the lead as they headed down to the river, Dewfur bringing up the rear, wary and alert. The new home of FireClan was still relatively unknown, and it felt like a dangerous place to be living. But Birdstar was certain that they could make it a safe and happy home in time, and Sunkit believed her. “We’re here,” Dewfur announced cheerfully. “Hop in, then.” “It looks cold,” Blackpaw protested. "Colder than last time." “You’re cold,” Sunkit laughed. She leapt forward and splashed him as she landed in the shallows. Suddenly, she squealed as her paws were swept away from the river bed. Flailing wildly, she tried to swim back to where she could stand, but there was a powerful current pushing her away. Then Dewfur was there, his broad shoulders blocking the current, his long fur swirling around him. He nudged Sunkit sideways, and suddenly she could swim again, paddling to shore. “That was a rip,” Dewfur gasped, flopping out of the water. “I’ve heard about them. They used to be a danger at the rivers in the old territory. You don’t get them in lakes though, that’s why we don’t know much. They’re strong currents, and they can drown a cat in a heartbeat. I’ll have to find a way of swimming in them to teach everyone.” “Maybe we should go back now,” Blackpaw said, looking anxiously at the water. “But I’m fine!” Sunkit told him. “All the same...,” Dewfur meowed. “Come on.” As they approached the tree a terrified yowl split the air. Breaking into a run, the three cats burst through the entrance and stood stock-still in fear. Birdstar turned around and sighed with relief when she saw them. “Thank goodness – Tigerstripe’s kitting! I sent Skylight to fetch water… did you see her?” “No,” Dewfur said. Sunkit padded over to Tigerstripe and stared in horror as the she-cat convulsed. There was a lot of blood, and she was suddenly worried that she was going to lose yet another Clanmate. "It's fine," Birdstar soothed the kit, swiping a tongue over her head. "Dewfur, can you..." "Sure," Dewfur agreed. He placed his tail over Sunkit's shoulders, guiding her away from Tigerstripe. "You should be excited, Sunkit," he said cheerfully. "Soon there will be more kits for you to play with!" "And Skylight's kits after that?" Sunkit asked, looking at Dewfur sideways. She wasn't entirely sure what was going on between the deputy and the white she-cat, only that everyone had thought Skylight was dead before she turned up several nights ago and told Dewfur that she was alive and pregnant with his kits. Of course, Sunkit wasn't entirely clear on the whole idea of kitting anyway - she wasn't sure how the kits got into the she-cat's belly, and Blackpaw had told her 'you don't want to know', so she hadn't asked anyone else. But Dewfur said that he and Skylight had been trying for another litter right before the fire. "Yeah, our kits after that," Dewfur agreed. He heaved a sigh. "Aren't you happy about it?" Sunkit asked. "I am. I am happy," Dewfur muttered, but Sunkit wasn't convinced. She wrinkled her nose and opened her mouth to say something else, but a shriek echoed around the hollow and she cowered backwards. It sounded as though Tigerstripe was being clawed, and with a whimper of sorrow, Sunkit turned and fled through the opening and out of the tree. Chapter 4 (Birchy) "Sunkit!" Birdstar yowled, looking after the kit. She started to move forwards when Dewfur stopped her. "I'll find her, don't worry. You stay here and help Tigerstripe. She needs you more," Dewfur reassured the leader. Birdstar nodded and turned back to the kitting queen. She crouched down beside the queen, trying to think fast what to do. Tigerstripe was bleeding quite a lot. Birdstar may have only seen a queen give birth a few times, but she was certain this wasn't a good sign. "Blackpaw, get me a stick. One that won't break easily," Birdstar looked up at the apprentice. Rather than questioning the request, or giving a snarky response, he darted outside the tree to find a stick. "One less cat here," Birdstar mumbled. She looked at Tigerstripe. "It's okay, Tigerstripe. Just try not to think of it too much." "Go to your happy place," Bramblepath meowed gently. She was sat slightly away from the queen, so she didn't cramp up the space. Suddenly, Skylight bounded into the tree, carrying mossd that was dripping with water. She plopped it down on a leaf, pushing it towards the queen. Tigerstripe lapped at the water eagerly, glad as the water cooled her down a little. Blackpaw appeared too, dropping a stiick down beside Birdstar. "Thank you," the leader mumbled, pushing the stick towards Tigerstripe. "Bite down on this when it's really bad." Tigerstripe was unsheathing and sheathing her claws, digging into the ground. Her breathing was short and fast. Birdstar turned around and looked at the other cats, who were watching silently. "Bramblepath, go out with Blackpaw. Hunting. Whatever. Just leave for now, but stay close in case we need you," Birdsong instructed the two former ThunderClan cats. They stood up and left silently. "Stickyfoot, you sit at the entrance and keep watch. Skylight, can you help me?" Skylight nodded and the two she-cats turned to Tigerstripe. A few moments passed, and Tigerstripe seemed to shudder, before a kit came out. Skylight automatically pulled the kit towards her, nipped the sac, and began to lick the kit all over fiercely. The kit gave a little scream as it started breathing, while Skylight finished grooming it. She let the kit squirm over to Tigerstripe, who then began to suckle. Tigerstripe licked the kit on the head a few times. Eventually two other kits were born and cleaned, Birdstar bringing a little she-cat to life, Tigerstripe taking her only son. The first kit was a she-cat too, and soon they were all suckling away. Tigerstripe purred and licked them over as well, letting her scent cover her newborn kits. "This one is Nightkit," Tigerstripe indicated to the first kit, a she-cat. She was a very dark kit, and would probably be a black or brown tabby, like her mother. "And this is Snowkit." She gently tapped a small, white kit on the back. "This little tom is Snakekit." She nodded to the last kit, a grey tom with tabby markings on his back and legs. She sighed, and rested her head on her paws, giving a little cough. Birdstar sighed with relief. "Well, at least the kits were born," she meowed to Skylight. She looked at her, but the former RiverClan Queen was looking at Tigerstripe with worry. She padded away from the new kits and Tigerstripe, and Birdstar followed her. "The kits... They're suckling, but they're hardly getting anything," Skylight said quietly and quickly. "Normally when kits are born, they squirm towards their mother and are kneading her, and you can smell milk very easily. But there's no scent of milk, not any stronger smell anyways, so the kits aren't nursing as well." Birdstar looked back over at Tigerstripe, who gave another little cough. "It can't be good, breathing in a lot of smoke when you're expecting kits. It must have weakened them." Skylight's eyes filled with worry. "But... my kits! I inhaled the smoke too! What if... What if they're sick too! What if-" "Shh," Birdstar stopped the worrying queen. "We'll find a medicine cat, and besides, you aren't due yet. I'm sure you'll be completely better, now that you can eat and sleep comfortably. I promise you we'll be fine." Skylight gave a small smile and nodded. Her gaze then focused on something beyond Birdstar, and the calico leader turned around. Dewfur was walking into the tree, shaking his head. "I couldn't find her," Dewfur sighed, sitting down to pick a bramble off of his shoulder. "Did you try the river?" Birdstar asked. Dewfur nodded. "The bramble patch? The Warm Stones?" She ran through the list of places Sunkit liked to visit when she went out. "I looked everywhere! I followed her scent to the river, and it didn't continue the other side. I followed her tracks in the mud, but it was just the grass from there. I went back and checked the other places," Dewfur snapped. Birdstar frowned at her Deputy, before standing up. "I'll look for her, and send Blackpaw and Bramblepath back. Just... continue on. And make a new nest for Tigerstripe, please." The leader headed out of the camp, head held high, as if she was sure about everything, and had no worries. She spotted Bramblepath and Blackpaw, not too far from the tree. "Thanks for hunting, you can go back and relax for now," she thanked the two cats. They nodded, picking up their brightly coloured prey and bounding back to camp. Birdstar watched them go, and sighed. She continued walking, her ginger and white paws flattening the grass as she moved. Am I taking care of Sunkit properly? Birdstar thought to herself. I've never been the best at caring for kits. Playing with kits is fun, but I've never had a litter of my own. I haven't had any close friends have kits, so I've never really been in the nursery, other than giving the queens and kits prey, moss and other things. If only I'd had kits rather than become deputy... Birdstar sighed, shaking her head. No, because I'm FireClan's Leader, and it's because I was deputy that I was able to care for these cats. "Sunkit!" She called out, seeing if the kit would appear. I don't know why she likes me so much. I'm like her mother. I mean, yes, I saved her life, and cared for her most, but I've had to care for everyone the same way, so it isn't different. The troubled leader paused, hearing a rustling in the leaves of a low tree. "Sunkit?" Birdstar's voice echoed as she wondered whether the noise in the tree was the little ginger kit, or prey... Or something harmful. Give me a fox or a badger to chase out? No problem, as long as I have a patrol behind me. Low on prey? Easy. Take the apprentices hunting with me. Need herbs? All I need is to be told what they look like, feel like, smell like, and where they're found, and it'll take me not even enough time to rain. I can patrol, hunt, fight... even teach an apprentice, and they're the closest things to kits. But I just can't... be a mother right. After waiting for several moments to pass, she started to walk on. Well, that's too bad, Birdstar. You have a Clan to lead, with a deputy and warriors to help you. And you have Sunkit. You have to try. Skylight and Tigerstripe can help me. The tree rustled once again, and Birdstar turned around. "Sunkit, please come down. I know... I've not been very good... very helpful to you lately. Being a leader... can have problems too. But I'm getting there, and with more experience, the better I can be. You see? I have a nursing queen, and expecting she-cat, and others who look up to me to help, and I chose to come out for you. I may not be the best, but I'm trying. Please come out," Birdstar finished talking. The little ginger she-kit fell down, landing on Birdstar's back. Sunkit giggled. "Let's go silly!" Sunkit meowed. "As long as it's okay now." Birdstar purred, and began walking back to the tree with the bouncy kit leading the way. --- A.N. Yup, so the other half of the chapter didn't save. I'll have to rewrite it... It should be up tomorrow! Enjoy this part for now :3 Chapter 5 (User Quit) Chapter 6 (Bird) Chapter 7 (Arti) Chapter 8 (Mystery Chapter) Chapter 9 (Wildy) Chapter 10 (Arti) Chapter 11 (Birchy) Chapter 12 (User Quit) Chapter 13 (Zaffie) Chapter 14 (Bird) Chapter 15 (User Quit) Epilogue (Birchy) Category:Zaffie's Fanfictions